Member organisation for interior landscapers, Plants@work has sent a letter to the government this week requesting consideration for financial support. We have asked for additional funds to be put aside by the UK government for an interior landscaping plants scrappage scheme.
Plants@work Chair, Madeleine Evans of Tivoli Services explained: “Some of our members have expressed concern about the probable loss of plants following the lock down especially as there is no specified time for this situation. With many members not having access to client’s buildings to maintain installations, the biggest fear is that the cost of replacing plants could put their companies at considerable risk of discontinuing to trade.”
Bearing that in mind, we have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, Elizabeth Truss, Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment and Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. We have also sent a letter to Nicholas Saphir who has just been appointed as Chair of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
We are asking individual members to support the action by writing to their own MPs.
Why plants are important
Plants have been recognised as an important part of our working lives. Our need to connect with nature (biophilia) has been acknowledged and the place of plants in reducing stress and anxiety is becoming recognised by doctors too.
“Our industry is responsible for major installations in large corporations to smaller ones that decorate public spaces such as office receptions, shopping centres and hotels,” commented Ms Evans “The accumulated loss of all or many of members’ installations will have a devastating effect on the industry.”
We hope that the government will be sympathetic to our request on behalf of our members and the industry as a whole.